Device for fastening packages



(No Model.)

H. INMAN.

DEVICE FOR FASTENING PACKAGES.

No. 364,352. Patented June 7, 1887.

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- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE INMAN, OF AMSTERDAM, NEV YORK.

DEVICE FOR FASTENING PACKAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,352, dated June 7, 1887. Application filed January 24, 1887. Serial No. 225,212. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

' ages, &c., which'also serves the purpose of a seal to detect attempts at opening the same, and affords convenient means for the attack ment of a shipping-tag or a label thereto.

In the drawings the same reference-letters refer to the same parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of a box fastened with my device. Fig. 2 illustrates a plan View of a box fastened with my device, having a shippingtag attached thereto. Fig. 8 illustrates a top view of the fastening disk or plate. Fig. 4 illustrates a top view of the fastening disk or plate in engagement with the shipping-tag. Fig. 5 illustrates an edge view of the fastening disk or plate and shipping-tag, showing some of the tag-fastening points of the disk not turned down. Fig. 6 illustrates an edge view of the fastening disk or plate and the binding-strips, showing the method of inserting and fastening the same. Fig. 7. illustrates a side view of a curved attaching disk or plate. Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate top views of modified constructions of attaching-disk in conjunction with the box on which they are to be used.

In the drawings I illustrate a box as the package to which my devices are applied. It may be any other kind of package.

A is the box. Bis the cover. (3 is a thin disk or plate, preferably of metal, (shown as round in the drawings, but it may be of any desired shape,) having point-ed earshaped pieces 0 cut out from it on two of their edges, and turned up on the other edge at substantially right angles to the disk, thus producing three-cornered holes 0' in the disk, and the upturned pointed pieces 0 projecting from the disk.

D are strips of thin material, preferably metal. I prefer to make them flat, as shown,

and about an eighth of an inch wide, because when of this shape they do not dent the edges of the box or package unless drawn unnecessarily tight. They may, however, be round or of any other desired form-such as wire, for instance-and they may be, if flat, wider or narrower than an eighth of an inch.

E is an ordinary paper or pasteboard shippingtag, made as usual, or it may be made without the usual cord'hole, especially for use with this invention.

The operation of the devices thus far described is as follows: One end of each of the binder-strips D is preferably first put through two adjacent holes in the attachingdisk G, and the ends are bent over and flattened down. The disk is then laid upon the box or package to be fastened, and the strips D are drawn around the same, and their free ends respect ively passed through the appropriate unoccupied holes 0, and by the use of pinchers or other suitable means, if necessary, or by the fingers, they are drawn tight and the ends bent down backward] y over the disk. The points 0 are then bent over, and with pinoheisforced into the holes 0 and down upon the strips D, thus aiding in confining the strips, and rendering any attempt at opening the package apparent, because in order to do so the points 0 and the overlapping ends of the strips will necessarily be much marred, which will be readily noticeable. hen a package has been confined as above explained, it will appear as shown in Fig. 1.

Aside from the aboverecited use of the points 0, they serve another very useful purpose, for by their use I am enabled to attach a shipping-tag, or a label of any kind and for any pu rp0se,to the packagesfirmly and neatly, and in a moments time,as follows; After the metallic strips D, or their equivalent, have been passed through the holes 0' and their ends bent backwardly, the tag E is placed on top of the upwardly turned points 0, and upon pressure being applied to the tag the points puncture the tag and protrude from the upper side thereof. These points are then bent down upon the tag, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and thus it is firmly held to the package, and cannot be removed unless it be torn or the points be straightened up again, which will so mar the tag and the points that it will be readily detectable.

In Fig. 5 I illustrate the tag and attachingdisk, showing the puncturing of the tag by the points, one of the points at the right having been turned down over the tag. At Fig. 6 I show the method of introducing the strips D through the holes in the disk. The disk being made of thin metal, its edge can be easily lifted sufficiently for passing the free end of the strip D through it, the end of the strip being preferably first bent upwardly somewhat by the fingers or otherwise, as shown in Fig. 6.

At Fig. 7 I show an improvement in the disk, if they, being made for heavy packages, are too stiff for the convenient insertion of the end of thesecond strip, D. It consistsin curving or bending the disk in one direction and substantially parallel with two of the holes. It is obvious that the first binder-strip can be easily put in place irrespective of the stiffness of the disk, because the edge thereof containing the hole through which the free end of the first strip is to be inserted can be easily turned up for that purpose, the disk being then unconfined; but after one of the strips has been put in place and tightly drawn, as would be espe cially the case in fastening heavy packages, then, unless the disk be bendable or the package a compressible one,it will be d'ifficult to in trod uce the free end of the other or second strip under the disk and up through the hole in it. In order that this may be done easily,1 bend or curve the disk slightly in one direction, as shown in Fig.7. The first strip put in place is the one shown in this figure, the holes for the reception of the ends of which lie flat on the package. The other strip orbinder (shown as loosely wrapped about the package) can very easily be introduced by simply rocking the disk in the direction of its curve, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 7. This will throw the edge of the disk containing the hole through which the end of the strip is to be passed upwardly and away from the package, so that the strip can be readily passed through it, and upon tightening the strip the disk will be flattened out and pressed close down upon the package,and such elasticity as the disk possesses will serve permanently to keep the bands tight. The V- shaped sides of the holes 0, above illustrated,

is a material feature of my invention. ofthat shape, they partly cut into or at least burrup the edges of the strips D and materially increase their hold.

In Fig. 8 I show another form of disk well adapted to instances where a large number of packages all of the same size are to be done up. It consists in radial extensions from the edges of the disk, by means of which the second strip can be put in place without lifting or bending the disk. The first strip is shown at F. 'It

can be easily inserted, as before stated. The

points of attachment for the second strip are Being extendedlaterally beyond the edge of the pack age, as seen at G G, so that the free end of the strip can be easily passed through it, and when it is tightened the ends G G will bend down over the edge of the package. It is of course 'not necessary that there should be two projecting parts G G; one only for the attachment of the free end of the second strip is all that is necessary, the hole for the other end being made in the circular part of the disk, the same as those for the other strip; but I ordinarily prefer to make them with two projections, G G, as shown, for the sake ofsymmetrical appearance of the disk. Inasmuch, however, as two projections require more metal, I sometimes make them with only one projecting part, G.

In Fig. 9 I illustrate substantially the same construction of disk seen in Fig. 8, excepting that there is only one projection G, and it does not extend to the edge of the package. This is so that the projection G may be easily turned up, it being springy, to enable the free end of the second strip to be inserted through the hole in its end, and in order that it may be easily bent I prefer to' reduce its width near the disk, as shown. This obviates the necessity of bending the disk itself, which would be much more difficult than bending the projection G.

Another feature of my invention consists in advertising or other matter--as, for instance, the, address to which the package is to be sent-whieh is stamped in the metal composing the disk. Iillustrate this in Fig. 3, using, for illustration, simply the arbitrary words London Tack Company, thus showing the source of the package or the maker of the goods contained therein.

Instead of cutting off 'the metal strips or wires to the desired length and attaching one of their ends respectively to the disk, it may be on reels and wound off and cut as desired in use; and instead of there being four holes and four upwardly-extending points there may be any desired number.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of disk 0, provided with perforations a, points 0, and binders D, substantially as set forth.

2.- The combination of disk 0, provided with points 0, perforations c, binders D, and a tag or label, E, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of disk 0, curved in one direction and provided with perforations c, and binders D, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a disk, 0, provided with perforations c, an extended part, G, proj ecting from the body of the disk, and binders D, whereby the second binder may be readily put in place, substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

5. The combination of disk 0, curved in onedirection and provided with perforations a, points 0, and binders l), substantially as set forth.

6. The disk 0, provided with perforations Signed at Amsterdam, in the county of a for the reception of the fastening-bands, the Montgomery and State of New York, this 5th [0 sides of the perforations lying at an angle to day of December, A. D. 1886. each other with the point of their union pre- 5 sented toward the edge of the disk, whereby HORACE INMAN' the edges of the binders will be burred up and VVit-nesses: bent and the hold thereof increased substan- PETER J. LEWIS, tially as set forth. W. DAVIDSON J ONES. 

